Dream Academy debuted last fall in Iowa, opening its doors to 88 students in kindergarten through seventh grade. They all come from low-income families and receive $7,826 through the state’s Education Savings Account program.
It is too early to say whether the increasing shift in school choice toward private options has improved academic outcomes. However, the coming months may determine the future course of the movement and its impact on public schools in the United States.
Why did we write this?
Voters rejected three school choice ballot measures in November. But the momentum seems unstoppable, especially with the return of a supporter to Washington.
President-elect Donald Trump returns to the White House. He has not hesitated to support private school choice, even hinting at a federal effort to expand it. In the states, legislative sessions are increasing. Meanwhile, Mr. Trump and his allies have embarked on a mission to reduce federal involvement in other areas of education, such as dismantling the Department of Education.
Public perception is difficult to determine. In November, voters in three states rejected school choice ballot measures. But polls show parents support flexibility. For some, state funds are a lifeline.
“We didn’t have to choose between fixing our refrigerator last month or continuing to let our kids go to this school,” says Katie Zack, a mother from Nebraska.
The building, located within walking distance of the Mississippi River, may represent the future of the school choice movement.
The Dubuque Dream Center’s Dream Academy debuted this fall in Iowa, opening its doors to 88 students in kindergarten through seventh grade. They all come from low-income families and receive $7,826 through the state’s Education Savings Account program.
With funding available for private school tuition, parents rushed to enroll their children in Dream Academy’s smaller classes and faith-based curriculum. Demand exceeded the leadership’s initial plan to start with just 30 students.
Why did we write this?
Voters rejected three school choice ballot measures in November. But the momentum seems unstoppable, especially with the return of a supporter to Washington.
“For them, it’s a slam dunk. It’s like, ‘Praise the Lord!'” says Robert Kimble, the school’s executive director and principal.
It is too early to say whether the increasing shift in school choice toward private options has improved academic outcomes, especially for the nation’s most vulnerable students. However, the coming months may determine the future course of the movement, as well as its impact on public schools in the United States.
Legislative sessions in the state have intensified, and President-elect Donald Trump returns to the White House. He has not hesitated to support private school choice, even hinting at a federal effort to expand it. Meanwhile, Mr. Trump and his allies have embarked on a mission to reduce federal involvement in other areas of education, such as dismantling the Department of Education.
Public perception is difficult to determine. In November, voters in three states—Kentucky, Colorado, and Nebraska—rejected school choice ballot measures. But parents are increasingly indicating they want more flexibility.
A A poll was released last week The National Federation of Parents found that 71% of parents support using public state funding to send their children to whatever educational setting they deem best — public school, private school, home school, or religious school. A majority of parents also believe that schools receiving any form of government funding should not be allowed to discriminate on the basis of age, race, gender, sexuality and ability.
Nearly three dozen states have already passed some form of private school choice, such as voucher programs, education savings accounts, or tax credit scholarships. Dozens of states offer a universal program, meaning families, regardless of their income, can access public funds for private options. This expansion is likely to continue.
Douglas says: Harris, professor of economics and director of the National Center for Research on Educational Access and Choice at Tulane University.
Why did the ballot measures fail?
Nebraska voters repealed a program passed by state lawmakers earlier that year that allocated $10 million in scholarships for students to attend private school. In neighboring Colorado, voters rejected an amendment that would have enshrined school choice in the state constitution. And to the east, Kentucky voters rejected a measure that would have allowed public tax dollars to flow toward private or charter schools.
Liz Cohen, policy director at Georgetown University’s FutureEd, cautions against viewing poll results as an indicator of the school choice movement. Policy making in state legislatures may be easier to accomplish than direct voting at the ballot box.
“Most families send their children to public schools in their area, and most of them are fairly satisfied with that,” she says. “So they don’t have a lot of incentive to vote for something they’ve been told is likely to threaten something they’re already satisfied with.”
In Nebraska, families who received money through the state’s private school scholarship program are looking for a new source. They include Katie and John Zach, whose four oldest children attend a Catholic elementary school in Lincoln.
Ms Zak says the money was a lifeline. She is a stay-at-home mother, and her husband teaches at a Catholic high school. Given the family’s modest budget, she says government scholarship funding made it less financially risky to give their children a private Catholic education.
“We didn’t have to choose between fixing our refrigerator last month or continuing to let our kids go to this school and sign up for basketball — whatever that was,” she says.
Jeremy Eckler, executive director of Opportunity Nebraska, says eliminating the program could spur a new approach to private school reselection.
“It was very much a political and legislative battle,” he says. “I think we will see more support for parents at the grassroots level.”
What to watch next year
However, the political battle could make its way to Washington.
During President-elect Trump’s first term in office, Secretary of Education Betsy DeVos, motive The so-called Education Freedom Grant. The $5 billion proposal would have given tax breaks to companies or individuals who donated a portion of their taxable income to organizations that provide scholarships. It never gained enough traction in Congress. Now Republicans have complete control of the United States House of Representatives and Senate.
Trump referenced the federal bid’s revival while announcing that Linda McMahon, co-founder and former president of World Wrestling Entertainment, would be his next education secretary. In social reality mail“Linda will fight tirelessly to expand ‘Choice’ to every state in America,” he wrote.
If successful, the simultaneous expansion of the federal government’s role with respect to private schools and the shrinking of the Department of Education would dramatically change the fabric of the American public education system as it exists today.
“Those two things are in tension with each other, so it will be interesting to see if they kind of ignore that and are so intent on expanding private school choice that they do it anyway,” Dr. Harris says.
Proponents and opponents of school choice will be watching Texas closely, where Gov. Greg Abbott has expressed confidence about the votes needed to pass a voucher program this year. The red state Legislature has resisted launching any such program, largely because of opposition from rural Republicans. In small towns across the Lone Star State, the public school is the cornerstone of the community.
If North Carolina is any indication, state lawmakers have significant power on the issue.
In September, Democratic Gov. Roy Cooper vetoed a bill that would have increased funding for private school vouchers, which have no income cap. Governor Cooper decried the expanded funding in his state Veto letter. He called it a “scheme” that lacks accountability and will harm public schools, especially in rural areas.
But the Republican-dominated state legislature Overriding the veto In November, sending $463 million to the Opportunity Scholarship Program.
In Florida, the price was even higher. Education Law Center and Florida Policy Institute appreciation Private school vouchers are costing the Sunshine State $3.9 billion this school year. Many of these students were already enrolled in private schools.
Demand increases the supply of private schools
The proliferation of taxpayer-funded choice programs has also put pressure on the private education market.
The Drexel Fund, a grantmaking organization, is playing a behind-the-scenes role in the movement as “demand from families outpaces the supply of private school seats,” says Mark Gleason, managing partner. It helps aspiring education entrepreneurs launch or expand private schools that primarily enroll students from underserved communities.
Since its founding in 2015, the organization has funded more than 23,000 places in private schools, including those at Dream Academy. Mr. Gleason says they are actively working in dozens of states, most of them those that have a voucher or education savings account program. The Drexel Fund expects to increase that number to 20.
Back in Iowa, Dream Academy students and staff returned from winter break. Small class sizes — 10 to 15 students — reduce behavioral problems and increase learning time, Mr. Kimball says. He hopes this is a recipe for erasing long-standing racial achievement gaps and ending cycles of poverty.
“Let’s see what we can do,” he says. “Let’s do something different.”